The Zanuck Company
The Zanuck Company (formerly The Zanuck/Brown Company) is an American motion picture production company. It's responsible for such blockbusters as Jaws, The Sting, Cocoon, Driving Miss Daisy, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.
Formerly | The Zanuck/Brown Company (1972-1988) |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| Industry | Production company |
| Founded | July 10, 1972 |
| Founders | Richard D. Zanuck David Brown |
| Headquarters | Beverly Hills, California |
Key people | Dean Zanuck (CEO) Lili Fini Zanuck (Vice President) |
| Products | Motion Pictures, New Media |
| Website | Official website |
History
The Zanuck/Brown Company
On July 10, 1972, it was announced that both Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, who had a successful run at 20th Century Fox, then at a two-year stint at Warner Bros. is setting up their own independent production company.[1] On August 4, 1972, the studio is signing a five-year production deal with Universal Pictures, and it will supervise production of 20 Universal films.[2]
Its first film Zanuck and Brown are producing were Sssssss.[3] In 1974, the company's second production, which they presented were The Sting, won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and making it the studio's first hit.[4]
After a series of major failures at the box office, its big break came in 1975 when the studio is producing Steven Spielberg's Jaws, which is the first major box office hit scored by the studio and inventing the summer blockbuster genre.[5] The same team would produce a sequel of its own in 1978.[6] Various attempts were produced during his tenure, which included an attempted sequel to Gone with the Wind,[7] and a remake of When Worlds Collide.[8]
In 1979, Lili Fini Zanuck joined the studio, after they married in 1978, and he was instrumental in developing their own projects.[9]
After an eight-year run at Universal, Zanuck and Brown are moving to 20th Century-Fox in 1980.[10] There he produced Paul Newman's film The Verdict, and Cocoon.[11] Three years later, he left 20th Century Fox and moved to Warner Bros. for a three-year deal.[12] In 1986, they left Warner Bros. without making a picture, and signed a deal with MGM to produce its own projects.[13]
The Zanuck Company
In 1988, Zanuck and Brown decided to dissolve their partnership, and decided to rebrand their studio as The Zanuck Company with Jerry Perenchio as partner. Meanwhile, Brown started its own production company The Manhattan Project. Their first film announced was Driving Miss Daisy.[14] In 1990, Driving Miss Daisy won the Academy Award for Best Picture.[15]
That same year, Zanuck signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures to release their own films.[9]
In 1994, The Zanuck Company signed a production deal with 20th Century Fox to release their own films. There he produced Chain Reaction. In 1998, he reteamed with former partner David Brown to produce Deep Impact.[16] He is producer on one of the six films directed by Tim Burton, including Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows.[17]
In 2004, Dean Zanuck formed Zanuck Independent [18] to produce independent films.
In 2010, Alice in Wonderland became the first motion picture from The Zanuck Company to exceed the $1 billion mark. [19]
Filmography
Theatrical films
1970s
| Release date | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Box office (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 18, 1973 | Sssssss | Bernard L. Kowalski | Universal Pictures | first film | $1.03 million | $1 million |
| December 19, 1973 | Willie Dynamite | Gilbert Moses | N/A | |||
| December 25, 1973 | The Sting | George Roy Hill | winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture; co-production with Bill/Phillips Productions | $5.5 million | $159.6 million | |
| March 30, 1974 | The Sugarland Express | Steven Spielberg | $3 million | $12 million | ||
| May 17, 1974 | The Black Windmill | Don Siegel | co-production with Siegel Films | $1.5 million | N/A | |
| August 16, 1974 | The Girl from Petrovka | Robert Ellis Miller | N/A | |||
| May 21, 1975 | The Eiger Sanction | Clint Eastwood | co-production with The Malpaso Company | $9 million | $14 million | |
| June 20, 1975 | Jaws | Steven Spielberg | $470.7 million | |||
| July 15, 1977 | MacArthur | Joseph Sargent | $16.3 million | |||
| June 16, 1978 | Jaws 2 | Jeannot Szwarc | $30 million | $208 million | ||
1980s
| Release date | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Box office (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 13, 1980 | The Island | Michael Ritchie | Universal Pictures | $22 million | $15.7 million | |
| December 18, 1981 | Neighbors | John G. Avildsen | Columbia Pictures | $8.5 million | $29.9 million | |
| December 8, 1982 | The Verdict | Sidney Lumet | 20th Century Fox | $16 million | $54 million | |
| June 21, 1985 | Cocoon | Ron Howard | $17.5 million | $85.3 million | ||
| November 8, 1985 | Target | Arthur Penn | Warner Bros. | co-production with CBS Theatrical Films | $12.9 million | $9.02 million |
| November 23, 1988 | Cocoon: The Return | Daniel Petrie | 20th Century Fox | last film released under the Zanuck-Brown name | $17.5 million | $25 million |
| December 15, 1989 | Driving Miss Daisy | Bruce Beresford | Warner Bros. | first film released under the name of The Zanuck Company; winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture | $7.5 million | $145.8 million |
1990s
| Release date | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Box office (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 22, 1991 | Rush | Lili Fini Zanuck | MGM/UA Distribution Co. | co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $17 million | $7.2 million |
| October 29, 1992 | Rich in Love | Bruce Beresford | $18 million | $2.2 million | ||
| May 6, 1994 | Clean Slate | Mick Jackson | N/A | $7.4 million | ||
| December 1, 1995 | Wild Bill | Walter Hill | co-production with United Artists | $30 million | $2.1 million | |
| April 26, 1996 | Mulholland Falls | Lee Tamahori | co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Largo Entertainment | $29 million | $11.5 million | |
| August 2, 1996 | Chain Reaction | Andrew Davis | 20th Century Fox | co-production with Chicago Pacific Entertainment | $50 million | $60.2 million |
| May 8, 1998 | Deep Impact | Mimi Leder | Paramount Pictures (North America) DreamWorks Pictures (International) |
co-production with The Manhattan Project | $80 million | $349.5 million |
| March 19, 1999 | True Crime | Clint Eastwood | Warner Bros. | co-production with Malpaso Productions | $55 million | $16.6 million |
2000s
| Release date | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Box office (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 7, 2000 | Rules of Engagement | William Friedkin | Paramount Pictures | co-production with Scott Rudin Productions and Seven Arts Pictures | $60 million | $71.7 million |
| July 27, 2001 | Planet of the Apes | Tim Burton | 20th Century Fox | $100 million | $362.2 million | |
| July 12, 2002 | Reign of Fire | Rob Bowman | Buena Vista Pictures | co-production with Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment | $60 million | $82.2 million |
| Road to Perdition | Sam Mendes | DreamWorks Pictures (North America) 20th Century Fox (International) |
$80 million | $181 million | ||
| December 10, 2003 | Big Fish | Tim Burton | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures and The Jinks/Cohen Company | $70 million | $122.9 million |
| July 15, 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Warner Bros. Pictures | co-production with Plan B Entertainment and Village Roadshow Pictures | $150 million | $475 million | |
| December 21, 2007 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Paramount Pictures (North America) Warner Bros. Pictures (International) |
co-production with DreamWorks Pictures and Parkes/MacDonald Productions | $50 million | $153.4 million | |
| December 19, 2008 | Yes Man | Peyton Reed | Warner Bros. Pictures | co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures and Heyday Films | $70 million | $223.2 million |
2010s
| Release date | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Box office (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 5, 2010 | Alice in Wonderland | Tim Burton | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films and Team Todd | $150–200 million | $1.025 billion |
| April 2, 2010 | Clash of the Titans | Louis Leterrier | Warner Bros. Pictures | co-production with Legendary Pictures and Thunder Road Pictures | $125 million | $493.2 million |
| May 11, 2012 | Dark Shadows | Tim Burton | co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, Infinitum Nihil and GK Films | $150 million | $245.5 million | |
| May 30, 2014 | Maleficent | Robert Stromberg | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Roth Films | $180–263 million | $758.5 million |
| September 15, 2015 | Hidden | The Duffer Brothers | Warner Bros. Pictures | uncredited; co-production with Vertigo Entertainment | N/A | $310,273 |
Television films/pilots
| Release date | Title | Director | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 9, 1987 | Barrington | Richard Compton | CBS | as The Zanuck/Brown Company; co-production with New World Television |
| August 21, 1992 | Driving Miss Daisy | Will Mackenzie | co-production with Warner Bros. Television | |
| 2004 | Dead Lawyers | Paris Barclay | Sci-Fi | co-production with Sony Pictures Television |
| May 16, 2015 | Bessie | Dee Rees | HBO | co-production with HBO Films and Flavor Unit Entertainment |
References
- "Zanuck Leaves Warner To Form Own Concern". The New York Times. 1972-07-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- "Zanuck, Brown to join Universal on Monday". The Los Angeles Times. 1972-08-04.
- "SSSSSSS (1973) - Articles - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Martin, Douglas (2012-07-13). "Richard Zanuck, Producer of Blockbusters, Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- ""Jaws" released in theaters". HISTORY. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Canby, Vincent (1978-06-16). "Film: Another Snap of 'Jaws':The Great White Redux". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Cartnal, Alan (1976-08-22). "He Dressed Scarlett O'Hara". The Los Angeles Times. Part V. p. 1.
- Murphy, Mary (1976-05-26). "Suffragist's Life, Loves to Be Film". The Los Angeles Times.
- Mathews, Jack (1990-03-09). "Zanuck Co. Signs 'First Look' Deal With Paramount Pictures". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Scherger, Charles (1980-04-09). "Lyrical New Highway to Hollywood". The Los Angeles Times.
- McLellan, Dennis (2010-02-02). "Producer of 'Jaws,' 'The Sting,' 'Cocoon'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Harmetz, Aljean (1983-04-19). "Zanuck/Brown Leaving Fox". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Harmetz, Aljean (1986-02-07). "At the Movies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Easton, Nina J. (1988-12-13). "Zanuck, Wife Forming Film Development Company". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Reinhold, Robert (1990-03-27). "'Driving Miss Daisy' Wins 4 Oscars, Including One for Jessica Tandy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Collins, Keith (2005-07-13). "Milestones". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- "Tim Burton On Dick Zanuck's Passing". Deadline. 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Harris, Dana (2004-08-03). "Zanuck goes it alone". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- Bettinger, Brendan (2010-05-27). "Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND Becomes the Sixth Film Ever to Surpass $1 Billion Worldwide". Collider. Retrieved 2020-06-22.